Chandor, who crafted a student-designed major in cultural film studies at Wooster, received an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay for his 2011 directorial debut, . Featuring an ensemble cast including Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci, the film follows a group of traders and executives at a Wall Street investment bank through 24 hours during the 2008 financial crisis, as they struggle to come to grips with a crisis that threatens to sweep them, their clients, and the entire firm away. The film also earned recognition from the Independent Spirit Awards, Berlin International Film Festival, Nantucket Film Festival, National Board of Review, and New York Film Critics Circle.

called Chandor’s work on Margin Call “an extraordinary feat of filmmaking” when it debuted in 2011. “His formal command — his ability to imply far more than he shows or says and to orchestrate a large, complex drama out of whispers, glances, and snippets of jargon — is downright awe-inspiring.” The awe-inspiring director met the star of his next film, Robert Redford, when Margin Call premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and developed All Is Lost, starring Redford solo as a sailor battling the wind and sea. Also known for A Most Violent Year and Triple Frontier, Chandor began his film career at Wooster.

“Wooster saw something in me, and I really flourished there. I got into theatre, took photography and painting classes,” Chandor told the 91�Թ��� in 2012.

For his Independent Study, the 91�Թ���’s signature, nationally recognized senior capstone project, Chandor wrote, shot, and edited a film, which he cheerfully admits was “a total overreach, too vast in scope and scale…but I got jobs right away after graduation based on it.” The production of The Table for I.S. was not a small feat in 1996 before the prominence of digital filmmaking. One of his faculty advisors Richard Figge, professor emeritus of German, noted Chandor’s problem-solving skills and acuity with the film production process even as an undergrad in an article in Wooster magazine in 2014. “He wrote the script, enlisted actors and technicians, and stuck to an ambitious production schedule,” said Figge. “The Art Department gave him a small office, which became his editing room. Somehow, he secured a Steenbeck professional editing table and holed up with it until the project was finished. He found himself minus a supporting actor, but — always prepared to find a solution — he played the part himself. I was astonished at his easy screen presence in the part.”

The showing of Margin Call at The Lyric is part of a collection of events during Wooster’s Reunion Weekend celebration May 28-31, when alumni will reconnect with classmates and the 91�Թ���.

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“The generous financial support from the State of Ohio for these students supports enrollment in Wooster’s exceptional STEM majors and makes their degree more affordable,” President Anne McCall said. “Wooster faculty and staff guide students through real-world learning and mentored-research opportunities in our community and beyond, positioning the 91�Թ��� to prepare students for successful careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and health-related fields.”

Wooster is one of 59 institutions to receive funding from this year’s grants according the . “Ohio’s future depends on preparing more students for the careers that are shaping our economy, and that starts with giving them the chance to pursue high-demand STEM fields,” Governor DeWine said in the announcement. “Choose Ohio First inspires more students to reach their full potential. It helps students discover their passion for opportunities in STEM and graduate ready to start a great career right here in Ohio.”

At Wooster, STEM students engage in an interdisciplinary liberal arts curriculum, adding to their understanding of their field through insights into the arts, humanities, history, and social sciences. Every student participates in Wooster’s signature capstone research program, and more than 78% complete experiential learning opportunities, such as an internships, consulting, or research projects, above and beyond their I.S. Some of the community partners and companies across Ohio where students frequently engage in work-based learning opportunities supported Wooster’s application for the Choose Ohio First Scholarship including Schnieder Electric, Community Action of Wayne and Medina Counties, Wooster Brush Company, Camp Nuhop, and Wooster City School District. Through connections with area employers, Wooster students build their networks and graduate prepared to excel in both advanced study and the modern workforce, where adaptability, communication, and cross‑disciplinary thinking are increasingly essential.

Available to incoming students in 2027-28, Wooster majors supported by the program include biochemistry and molecular biology, biology, chemical physics, chemistry, communication sciences and disorders, computer science, statistical and data sciences, earth sciences, environmental studies, mathematics, neuroscience, and physics, as well as education degrees and certificates with a STEM focus.

Featured image: Majoring in earth sciences and environmental studies Cady Eakins ’25 interned at Akron Cooperative Farms as part of an APEX Fellowship, allowing her to make connections in her community and gain knowledge in agriculture and entomology.

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With her opening remarks, President Anne McCall recognized the newest class of alumni and the process that guided them to the next chapter of their lives. “While you traveled your own individual paths, linear in some respects, circuitous in others, you did not do so alone,” she said, acknowledging the “dedicated mentors” and all the members of the 91�Թ��� community who celebrated their successes and accomplishments. Sharing stories of alumni and the ways they have represented the 91�Թ���, pursued inquiry for the evolution of knowledge, supported each other amid challenging times, and given back to the 91�Թ��� to inspire others, McCall encouraged the graduates to look ahead as their lives evolve: “You will bring joy in sharing where life has taken you and in considering the myriad ways you can show your love to those coming after you at 91�Թ���.”

President McCall honored Jodi Nunnari ’84 with an honorary Doctor of Science degree during the ceremony.

McCall honored Nunnari with an honorary Doctor of Science degree during the ceremony. Currently senior vice president, head of discovery science, and founding principal investigator at Altos Labs, Nunnari shared that at Wooster she “found a launchpad” acknowledging the immediate opportunities she received to experiment with the unknown in the chemistry research labs alongside incredible mentors. “They looked at a first-generation student and didn’t see what I lacked. They saw what I could become. They challenged me, guided me, and they believed in me.”

Nunnari remembered that after she graduated, “the Wooster network looked out for me yet again.” She completed her doctorate in pharmacology in the lab of another Wooster chemistry alumna Lee Limbird ’70 at Vanderbilt University. “Under Lee’s incredible scientific guidance and mentorship, the foundation I built here grew into a career in science that I could never have imagined.”

“What Wooster taught me was my motivation at the very foundation of me is derived from a love of advancement and breakthroughs,” Nunnari said. “I fell in love with focusing my mind on complex problems, the resilience I need to pivot when our hypotheses are wrong, and the profound satisfaction I experience when creating a new piece of knowledge.”

Nunnari noted how today’s culture promotes shortcuts and avoiding friction but that growth comes from meeting resistance. “You aren’t born with resilience. You build it by tackling problems that don’t have easy answers,” she said. She noted the graduates’ achievement in completing Wooster’s senior capstone program, a button of achievement that alumni often reference in job and graduate school interviews. “You are sitting here today because you have already encountered uncertainty. Your very training here at Wooster demands that you do that, and you’ve navigated through it. Your Independent Study is the ultimate proof of that.” Nunnari reminded them of that same Wooster network by charging them to: “Look at the friends who supported you when you were convinced your I.S. project made absolutely no sense. Look at the faculty who didn’t just teach and grade you but treated you like a colleague, so you became one. Look at the families who carried you here. Feel deeply grateful to them. Gratitude actively rewires our brains to focus on what empowers us: transforming daily struggles into resilience.”

Saturday morning’s ceremony also included multiple speakers from the graduating class. In the invocation, Stuart Franklin ’26, president of the Jewish Student Organization and majoring in education and religious studies, set the tone that carried on throughout the morning saying, “Behind every graduate are mentors who have nurtured our curiosity, friends who have stood beside us through thick and thin, and loved ones whose endless sacrifices have paved the way for this journey.”

One of the speakers selected to represent the class, Josephine Fleischel ’26, a global media and digital studies major said, “What I will take most from Wooster is the importance of community.” An environmental geoscience major also selected from the class, Elliot Miller ’26, added, “Relationships have defined our experiences here at Wooster. Whether that is faculty, coaches, family, classmates, or friends, these relationships have had profound impact toward the individuals we have become today; for we are who we are because of each other.”

Closing the ceremony, Lilly Ashe ’26, a communication sciences and disorders major and music minor, performed Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb” before President McCall issued final congratulations to the Class of 2026, and the pipers sent off the graduates in true Wooster fashion.

The Class of 2026 marched from Kauke Arch to Scot Center greeted by the faculty.

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The vision for the planned greenway across the southeast corner of campus includes an iconic and welcoming space with distinct areas that invite people to learn and enjoy the outdoors. Students, faculty, staff, and community members will share ideas as plans move forward through a cross-functional steering group in partnership with philanthropic investment. While this vision is in very early stages, ideas such as interactive art, water features, pollinator gardens, research areas, recreational spaces, and other designs for activity, beauty, and vibrancy have been suggested.

The plan includes the removal of 16 small houses on Stibbs, Spink, and University streets, selected based on location and an assessment of overall condition, uses, historical value, energy efficiency, and potential for financially responsible rehabilitation. After the close of Wooster’s spring semester, removal of the structures begins May 18 and is expected to be completed before the new academic year in mid-August 2026, dependent upon weather conditions. The planned completion of the project over the summer allowed new places on campus to be selected for student living and programing previously in the facilities, and preparations included the documentation of house interiors and exteriors for historical purposes. Furniture and fixtures have been offered to Habitat for Humanity to benefit the organization’s work in the community.

The 91�Թ��� will save more than $6M in deferred maintenance costs associated with basic repairs and approximately $75K in upkeep and annual operating costs after the completion of the project. Following removal of the houses, the sites will be restored to grass through seeding as the vision for various areas of the greenway takes shape. Answers to frequently asked questions about the project can be found here.

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“I see more students downtown now patronizing restaurants and shops than I’ve ever seen,” Wooster alumnus Jeff Musselman ’89 told Preservation. Musselman, a past president of the Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio, expressed his excitement to see students’ energy to engage with the community.

The economic impact of the 91�Թ��� on the community echoes the historic synergistic relationship between the city and 91�Թ��� dating back to the support from the wider community for the rebuilding of the 91�Թ��� after the burning down of the school’s original Old Main building in 1901.

The article also highlights the original architectural features of Wooster’s “Collegiate Gothic-style” Kauke Hall restored in 2006, the warm welcome the kilt-clad Scot Marching Band receives when performing downtown, and the support from the local community at 91�Թ��� sporting events. .

Featured image: 91�Թ��� Scot Marching and Pipe Bands often performs in downtown Wooster including Wooster Fest fall 2025.

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“Victoria is an excellent student who is truly deserving of this recognition. She has extensive research experience in several different subfields of chemistry and has been stellar in the classroom, being recognized for outstanding academic achievement with numerous departmental awards,” said James West, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, biology, and chemistry. West and Joe Smith, assistant professor of statistical and data sciences, co-serve as Wooster’s campus representatives for the scholarship competition.

Finizio said she was very excited to be recognized. “Receiving this award has increased my confidence in my abilities as a scientist,” she said. “I feel more capable of achieving my goals, which will help me go forward with my education with a bit more certainty.” She came to Wooster, in part, because of her positive impression of the chemistry department while visiting as a prospective student. Once she arrived and got involved in the department, she knew she made the right choice.“In addition to a great curriculum that is helping me grow into a knowledgeable and skilled chemist, the chemistry department fosters a strong sense of community,” she said.

Finizio credits that sense of community and her numerous positive interactions with professors with helping her to win the award. “The professors truly care about their students,” she said. “Their academic and personal support has made my experience at Wooster truly special.” She feels especially grateful to her mentors at Wooster, including Paul Bonvallet, professor of chemistry, and David Kirby, John Garber Drushal Distinguished 91�Թ���ing Professor of Chemistry. As part of her off-campus studies, she is thankful to have participated in a summer research internship with Tehshik Yoon, professor of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Another reason Finizio chose Wooster is its Independent Study program. “I’m really interested in conducting original research in chemistry, and I knew I was guaranteed such an experience at Wooster,” she said.

She currently works as a lab assistant in Wooster’s chemistry department where she answers student questions on chemistry concepts and assists them with experimental techniques. “I have found helping my peers to be extremely rewarding, and I hope to incorporate mentorship into my career,” she said. Finizio is also active in Chemistry Club, the Wooster Activities Crew and The Wooster Voice.

After graduation, Finizio is planning to pursue a doctoral degree in chemistry and become a professor. She anticipates conducting research in synthetic organic chemistry, which would have applications in medicinal chemistry. As a Goldwater scholar, she will have the opportunity to participate in a mentorship program with previous winners and attend a conference to present her research. “I feel so grateful. None of this would have been possible without the support of my Wooster professors,” she said.

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With more than 1,200 participants in 52 countries, AASHE’s STARS program is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university’s sustainability performance. Participants report achievements in five overall areas: 1) academics 2) engagement, 3) operations, 4) planning and administration, and 5) innovation and leadership. Wooster is one of fewer than 400 institutions worldwide with a silver or higher rating.

“The STARS program is a very rigorous and comprehensive assessment of a college’s sustainability efforts. For Wooster to complete a STARS report and earn silver status demonstrates our commitment to sustainability, not just in words, but by highlighting dozens of sustainability actions, programs and activities from many different sectors of the institution,” Director of Campus Sustainability Brian Webb said. “This recognition only comes through passionate and dedicated work by many faculty, staff, students, and administrators who are committed to making sustainability an integral part of the Wooster experience.”

The rating recognizes a wide range of sustainability efforts underway at the 91�Թ���. Most recently, sustainability work has included the establishment of the campus-wide Abbey Arboretum at Wooster, supported by a seven-figure gift from alumnus Paul Abbey ’73 and his wife, Constance Norweb Abbey.

Efforts also include a yearslong commitment to independent student research focused on sustainability — a commitment that is reflected in Wooster’s particularly high scores in the STARS rating for curriculum, research, and campus engagement. In the past three years, more than 80% of academic departments across a breadth of disciplines have supervised student projects with a primary focus on sustainability. Student research has included exploration of low-cost, homemade soil fertility enhancers and the creation of fast-growing forests, with possible campus applications.

“Environmental issues represent some of the greatest interdisciplinary challenges of the 21st century, and Wooster students are demonstrating their ability to address such global challenges, not just through the environmental sciences, but through art, political science, psychology, theater, economics, and many other disciplines,” Webb said. “This breadth of academic diversity shows the true ability of Wooster students to address complex global topics from many creative and solutions-oriented approaches.”

“STARS was developed by the campus sustainability community to provide high standards for recognizing campus sustainability efforts,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “91�Թ��� has demonstrated a substantial commitment to sustainability by achieving a STARS Silver Rating and is to be congratulated for their efforts.”

Unlike other rating or ranking systems, this program is open to all institutions of higher education, and the criteria that determine a STARS rating are transparent and accessible to anyone. Because STARS is a program based on credits earned, it allows for both internal comparisons as well as comparisons with similar institutions. Wooster’s STARS report is publicly available on the STARS website.

Featured image: In the learning garden on Pine Street, students study pollinators and insect conservation through a variety of mentored-research projects.

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Coenen was intrigued and quickly connected with the research lab to assist with the study. “For the first time, science did not feel abstract to me,” she said. “It was a tool for helping real people. That realization cemented my academic journey in chemistry and my personal commitment to service.”

Coenen was one of ten students at schools in Ohio to receive the , which recognizes undergraduates at Community Campus Coalition partner institutions for outstanding leadership and contributions to community service on their campuses and within their communities. Two of the student winners (including Coenen) received an additional recognition as Legacy Award winners, and a $250 donation will be made in their honor to a nonprofit of their choice. Coenen has designated her donation to go to Dream Catcher Stables, a nonprofit in her hometown of Houston where she has taught horseback riding to children with special needs.

Coenen volunteers Dream Catcher Stables, a nonprofit in her hometown of Houston where she has taught horseback riding to children with special needs.

One of the first service opportunities Coenen explored at the 91�Թ��� was volunteering with the Wooster Volunteer Network as a first-year student. She became president of the organization and coordinated campus-wide service events to raise money for local nonprofits. In addition, she interned for three years in the 91�Թ���’s community engagement office where she worked to build and maintain relationships between the 91�Թ��� and local non-profits. She also served as service chair and treasurer of her sorority, Pi Kappa.

In her letter nominating Coenen for the award, President Anne McCall stated, “Throughout her undergraduate experience, Bella has demonstrated that service is not an isolated activity but a guiding principle that informs her academic pursuits, leadership roles, and professional aspirations.”

Service also drove Coenen’s Independent Study, which applies modern analytical chemistry tools to improve detection of designer ‘date-rape’ drugs commonly missed by forensic labs. “I hope to empower other women to see chemistry as a practical tool for advocacy and societal change,” she said. Coenen puts these hopes into practice through the mentoring of younger students as a teaching assistant for the chemistry department. “I love to help students find ways to move their knowledge outside the classroom,” she said.

Coenen’s dedication to service extended beyond the campus community. She volunteered at One Eighty, a Wooster domestic violence shelter, where she completed extensive training to serve as an advanced level three volunteer to support survivors.

After graduation, Coenen will pursue a doctorate in analytical chemistry at Vanderbilt University. “I’m proud to begin this journey supported by the values instilled in me at Wooster, knowing that leadership, service, and scholarship are strongest when they work together,” she said. “I entered Wooster unsure of my place in the world and am leaving with a clear purpose and intention to use science as a tool for justice, change, and community impact.”

Featured image: Coenen celebrates turning in her I.S.

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Through the program, Wooster students earn a graduate business degree in just one year after completing their bachelor’s degree. Also available to prospective students considering enrollment, the program includes early admission to Simon, and students receive a guaranteed tuition scholarship, creating an efficient route to a highly prestigious graduate business degree.

“Offering this opportunity provides advantages to Wooster students interested in master’s degrees through Simon Business School,” said Jen Bowen, Dean for Curriculum & Academic Engagement. “Academic advisors work closely with students to design their coursework and experiential learning to provide a path that will set them up for successful careers in national and international business. This relationship with Rochester allows our students to build on the foundation they receive at Wooster in critical thinking, research skills, and global and intercultural perspectives, all important for working in business-related careers today.”

Program participants can pursue a master’s degree in areas such as accounting, artificial intelligence in business, business analytics, finance, and marketing analytics, and it’s available to Wooster students with a pre-business mindset from any major who complete the required courses in business economics, computer science, mathematics, economics,  statistical and data sciences, or other courses specific to the master’s program. Students in the entrepreneurship pathway will also find this a natural fit with their interests.

Simon Business School is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the United States and recognized for delivering a strong return on investment for its graduates. The 4+1 Business Master’s Pathway program offers several benefits designed to simplify and accelerate the graduate admissions process, including:

• Guaranteed scholarship covering at least 30% of tuition
• Waived application fee
• No GRE or GMAT requirement
• Early access to graduate-level career workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions

“This partnership with Wooster reflects our shared commitment to expanding access to high-quality graduate education,” said University of Rochester Provost Nicole Sampson. “By working with Wooster and other outstanding partner institutions, we are enabling talented students to transition more easily from undergraduate to graduate study and prepare for successful careers with a Simon degree. Together, we are building a powerful bridge that expands opportunity and delivers lasting value for students and their families.”

Learn more about pre-professional advising in business at wooster.edu/area/pre-business/ and for more information about the 4+1 Business Master’s Pathway program, visit: .

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As senior vice president, head of discovery science and founding principal investigator at Altos Labs, Nunnari’s work focuses on cellular rejuvenation programming with the goal of reversing disease. As a mitochondrial biologist, she studies the cellular structures that provide energy and metabolic building blocks to living cells, which affect a wide range of diseases and aging. Nunnari was the first to describe mitochondria as a dynamic network in a homeostatic balance, and her lab described the mitochondrial division and fusion machines. Her lab also elucidated additional mechanisms underlying mitochondrial behavior within cells, including how mitochondrial membranes are organized, how mitochondria communicate with the endoplasmic reticulum, and how the mitochondrial genome is transmitted.

Nunnari’s academic body of work includes more than 100 publications spanning more than two decades, published in scientific journals around the world. Her papers have been cited by other research publications more than nine thousand times. Prior to joining Altos, Nunnari served as distinguished professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of California-Davis from 1998 to 2022. Additionally, Nunnari is a fellow and past president of the American Society for Cell Biology and an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the European Molecular Biology Organization and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Nunnari earned her B.A. in chemistry at Wooster and her doctorate in pharmacology from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1989.

Josephine Fleischel ’26

In addition to Nunnari, the ceremony will feature speakers from the graduating class, Josephine Fleischel ’26, a global media and digital studies major, and Elliot Miller ’26, an environmental geoscience major, who were selected based on academic performance and peer nominations.

Fleischel, a global media and digital studies major, serves as co-president of the Wooster Dance Company and is an active choreographer and dancer. She is also a DJ for the campus radio station, Woo-91, and volunteers weekly with the nonprofit OHuddle. As a recipient of the Theatre and Dance Scholarship, she studied abroad in London, where she pursued media studies coursework and trained at the London Contemporary Dance School. Her Independent Study, “If Man is Five, Then the Devil is Six,” examines the influence of new media technologies on the evolution of Satanic Panic narratives, analyzing rhetorical shifts across the 1980s and 2010s.

Elliot Miller ’26

Miller, an environmental geoscience major with a minor in physics, chose Wooster for the liberal arts education, competitive athletics, and strong sense of community. His I.S., conducted with Meagen Pollock, Marian Senter Nixon Professor of Natural Sciences, analyzes samples from Iceland’s Western Volcanic Zone with implications for identifying volcanic activity on Mars. He studied abroad in Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands and interned with Wooster’s earth sciences department. In addition to serving as a three-year student assistant athletic trainer, Elliot participates in Geology Club and Bluegrass Jam and competes on the men’s soccer team. His achievements include recognition as an Academic and Athletic All-American and receipt of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. After graduation, he plans to pursue graduate studies in geophysics.

President McCall will preside over the ceremony, which will also include an invocation led by Stuart Franklin ’26, education and religious studies majors, and benediction provided by Rev. Jon Fancher ’78, interim chaplain at the 91�Թ���. The ceremony also will feature a vocal performance by Lilly Ashe ’26, a communication sciences and disorders major and music minor.

Tickets are required to enter the event and may be requested through a on the commencement webpage. Families who cannot attend the event in person will be able to access a livestream of the ceremony. For more information on commencement and related events visit wooster.edu/commencement.

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